Difference in "work" between WLS diet and traditional diet for weight loss

Hi there - I am just curious to hear from those who have gone through WLS what makes the diet you follow after surgery different from all the diets you've tried in the past? I do understand that having the surgery makes a difference in what you can tolderate eating and how much, but I know that's not only part of it. The post-op diet is very restrictive - how have you managed to follow this more than other diets in the past? Does the rapid success help you stay motivated?  I am planning on having surgery and am committed to a lifestyle change, I just want to make sure I'm mentally prepared for this to be different than anything I've tried in the past.  Any input would be helpful!

For me, never feeling hunger and only needing smaller portions has been the biggest help. I used to love to eat, for any reason, anything, anytime. I ate a lot. I am only 7 months post-op, so I know that at some point, I may start to feel hunger again so I will need to deal with that as it comes up.

I don't have a lot of problems with food, so, I don't really have that as a deterrent to stay away from bad things. Yes, sometimes something will bother me, but I am not in a situation where, if I eat anything with sugar, it will make me sick, etc.

I also find the rigidity of the vitamin schedule helps me to stay on track. I take my vitamins with water and you can't eat or drink for at least 30 minutes before and after meals and you have to drink enough everyday, so, putting all of that together in a schedule, using my cell phone as a timer and tracking everything on MyFitnessPal , all of that helps me stay on track with my food intake as well.

I do still struggle with wanting the wrong foods and too much of them, so, that is my battle that I have to tackle everyday. That part does not get any easier, at least, not for me. I think seeing all of the weight that I have lost is helping me stay motivated and focused on only eating the good things.

Everyone is different. My issue with eating was mainly quantity. I was constantly hungry feeling and I over ate ALWAYS. So, with the restriction the surgery gave me, I was able to VASTLY reduce the quantity that I ate. Once the weight started really coming off, then that added even more motivation for me.

For me, I think the surgery has done a few things:

1) I choose my food very wisely now because I NEED protein in order to survive. I was never concerned about nutritional content before.

2) I stay away from carbs because I know they will make me feel gassy and will give me diarrhea. I want to avoid this as much as possible

3) I stay away from carbs because they will slow down my weight loss. I want to maximize my weight loss during my "honeymoon" period because I know it will never come off this easily again.

4) I only eat until I'm satisfied (which only takes about 2-3 ounces of food at this point). I used to eat A LOT and sometimes I would feel so uncomfortable because of the amount of food I ate. Now, I know that I can only have a little at a time and I still won't feel hungry.

5) I didn't get my insides rearranged just so I could continue on the path I was on before surgery. I made a commitment to changing my lifestyle and knowing I have this amazing tool to help me along the way has made all the difference.

My post op diet is not very restrictive.  For the first few weeks it was.  But after two months, I was on a regular diet.  My diet is not very restrictive at all now.

The rapid success did help me stay motivated.  And on other diets, I would feel hungry when I tried to eat small portions because my stomach was the size of a football.   Now, I get full on small portions because my stomach is the size  of an egg (my pouch is, anyway).  That's the main difference.

I am only 3 days post op. but look forward to protein first!! Then others. Carbs have been my weakness in that they never satisfied me. I was an Atkins chapter in that the proteins regulated blood sugar n never made me over it. But carbs were never ending...never satiated ... Never. Then the sugar drop would require a juice to get back up n it would begin all over again. I remember the phrase -- noone binges on 3-4 hard boiled eggs-- but everyone has emptied a bag of chips or cookies. I hope to be able to fill my " valuable real estate" AKA pouch with protein first and then maybe some carbs and voile' veggies- all in good time.

For me it's the lack of hunger. Small portions satisfy me, and I make smarter food choices now. I think that when I committed to the surgery I was truly ready to change my relationship with food. Now I schedule my eating times and meals just like my vitamin and medication and supplement schedule. To me they are the same thing now. I hate eating out now because it messes with my schedule and I cannot measure my food. Plus I really don't know what is in the food so it's difficult to know all the nutritional values.

What's different?    I feel satisfied on small amounts of food now, including small amounts of treats.    I have built healthy habits in my first year post op that make my "go to" and "thought-less" grabs of foods much more healthy in terms of portion and nutritional content.   With those healthy habits, when I do stray from my plan, I am aware and willing to compensate throughout the day or week...so I make conscious choices vs. reactive ones.   I do dump on high amounts of sugar (even in fruit) so I am cautious because feeling that way, especially when out and about is just not something I enjoy.

For me, it is not a diet AT ALL. It is a total lifestyle change, which I never had with prior attempts at weight loss.

Much less hunger, and a few bites of dense protein and I'm full! It's amazing. The carb monster has been caged, too. I used to dwell on food. That is just gone.